Walker Feavel, 5, of Platteville, concentrates on trying to achieve a "full pull" while pedaling a ride-on tractor with encouragement from Brent Hopkins, left, Thursday at the Boulder County Fair in Longmont. (Matthew Jonas / Longmont Times-Call)

At the intersection of John Deere and Big Wheel sits Matthew Severance.

For the fifth straight year, Matthew won his age group at the Boulder County Fair's pedal tractor pull. In fact, the 10-year-old from Frederick unofficially won every age group, grinding out 49 feet and 3 inches while dragging 310 pounds behind him.

The distance was just shy of a "full pull" — pedaling 50 feet without stopping.

In a pedal pull, competitors climb aboard a child-size John Deere with bicycle pedals instead of an engine. An inclined sled hooked to the back holds the weight, gradually moving the weight up the slope until it hits with a "clang" at 50 feet ... if anyone gets that far.

That takes some work. The youngest competitors, at age 4, have to move 120 pounds as far as they can. The 12-year-olds at the other end get to haul 410 pounds, a task roughly equal to pulling a full-grown gorilla. It's not unusual to see a kid dragging three times their weight, or to see adults shaking their head at the feat.

"If you tripled my weight, I don't know how far I could pull it," chuckled Daniel Eget of Longmont as he watched his nieces and nephew go at it. "I'm out of shape."

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The event has been at the fair for about 20 years and has been put on by the Roosevelt FFA for the last five as a fundraiser. The top three finishers in each age group can compete at the state fair in Yuma, after which national and even international competition is possible.

"While it hasn't made it to ESPN yet, it's fun to think about," said announcer Artie Elmquist of the St. Vrain Young Farmers, which started the fair's event.

And like any good sporting event, there are dramatic moments. The 4-year-old boys division was won by a last-second entry, Ivan Fafach, at 7 feet 10 inches. Among the 5-year-olds, Charlotte Pirnack easily outpaced everyone in both the girls and the boys divisions, making an 18-foot-6-inch drag look easy.

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